# Looking for good Post-Apocalyptic Fiction **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691 "2006-05-14T01:28:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/61 "2006-05-19T10:34:24Z")
As he doesn’t appear to have been mentioned (I’m sure he’s featured on some of those linked websites…), how about **J.G Ballard**? He’s one of my favourite writers, partly because almost all his stories are post-apocalyptic - from a global scale, such as in \*The Drowned World \* (a Waterworld-style scenario) to the smaller scale disaster survival stories, such as _High Rise_. A recurring theme in his books is the stratification and in-fighting in the face of disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/62 "2006-05-19T12:27:50Z")
From my Amazon history: **Earth Abides** _Plauge_ Pretty dismal. I suppose apocalyptic novels ought to be. The hero was fairly dislikeable too. Of course reading old science fiction always has its own charm. Like the average New York couple described in Earth Abides who (being normal Americans) never owned a car. **Alas, Babylon** - Pat Frank > **[Alas, Babylon (Perennial Classics): Amazon.co.uk: Frank, Pat: 9780060931391:...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alas-Babylon-Perennial-Classics-Frank/dp/0060931396)** > > Buy Alas, Babylon (Perennial Classics) by Frank, Pat (ISBN: 9780060931391) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. _Nuclear_ Survivors in a small rural village in Florida after a nuclear war with Soviet. **Footfall / Lucifer’s Hammer** - Larry Niven, Pornelle _Alien invasion / Asteroid collision_ Great solid post-apocalyptic fun. A bit on the light side. The stories are very much alike, though Footfall is about an alien invasion and Lucifer’s Hammer about asteroid collision. Great reads. **A Canticle for Leibowitz** and its later follow up - Walter Miller > **[A Canticle For Leibowitz: Book One: The Saint Leibowitz Series (Saint...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Canticle-Leibowitz-Book-Saint-Leibowtiz/dp/1857230140)** > > Buy A Canticle For Leibowitz: Book One: The Saint Leibowitz Series (Saint Leibowtiz) by Miller Jr, Walter M. (ISBN: 9781857230147) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. _Nuclear_ Monks in post-apocalyptic USA and the slow rebuilding of America. Didn’t personally particular like it – though many swears by it. **The Handmaid’s Tale** - Margaret Atwood > **[The Handmaid's Tale: Margaret Atwood: Amazon.co.uk: Atwood, Margaret:...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Handmaids-Tale-Contemporary-Classics/dp/0099740915)** > > Buy The Handmaid's Tale: Margaret Atwood 01 by Atwood, Margaret (ISBN: 8601404194931) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. _Religious fascists_ The Taliban in the USA. More of a feminist book. But still great. **The Stand** - King _Plauge_ Too much super natural goofiness. And of course the usual King bloat. Though the arsonist was fun of a sort. **The White Plague** – Frank Herbert _Plauge_ One of the best apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic novels out there. **Patriots : Surviving the Coming Collapse** - Jame Wesley Rawles > **[Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse: Amazon.co.uk: Rawles,...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Patriots-Novel-Survival-Coming-Collapse/dp/1469235633)** > > Buy Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse Abridged by Rawles, James Wesley, Hill, Dick (ISBN: 9781469235639) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. _Economic collapse_ Where the men are men and the women pretty much so too. The Marxists are cannibals and Europeans are EUnucks and the UN the evil that men do. A book for dopers! **Half Life** - Hal Clement > **[Half Life: Amazon.co.uk: Clement, Hal: 9780812566604: Books](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Half-Life-Hal-Clement/dp/0812566602)** > > Buy Half Life Mass Market ed. by Clement, Hal (ISBN: 9780812566604) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. _Biological degradation_ Man is becoming unable to reproduce, and apparently the reason why is to be found in the asteroid belt – or something. Not good. Confusing. **The Coming Global Superstorm** - Art Bell, Whitley Strieber > **[The Coming Global Superstorm: Amazon.co.uk: Bell, Art, Strieber, Whitley:...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coming-Global-Superstorm-Art-Bell/dp/0743408888)** > > Buy The Coming Global Superstorm New by Bell, Art, Strieber, Whitley (ISBN: 9780743408882) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. _Ecological disaster_ Basis of the recent Hollywood movie: The Day After Tomorrow. Despite the authors obvious political motives, not an entirely bad book. **The Plague** - Albert Camus _Plauge_ A deadly plague lands on the small town of Oran (French, though in Northern Africa). Great book. Though perhaps more of a philosophical leaning. **The Drowned World** - J.G. Ballard (1962) > **[The Drowned World: J.G. Ballard: Amazon.co.uk: Ballard, J. G., Amis, Martin:...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drowned-World-J-G-Ballard/dp/0007221835)** > > Buy The Drowned World: J.G. Ballard 01 by Ballard, J. G., Amis, Martin (ISBN: 9780007221837) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. _Ecological disaster_ The Ice capes have melted and the earth is heating up and drowning and man is on the last leg. Good read. **Hothouse** - Brian Aldiss > **[Hothouse (Penguin Modern Classics): Amazon.co.uk: Aldiss, Brian, Aldiss, Brian,...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hothouse-Penguin-Modern-Classics-Aldiss/dp/014118955X)** > > Buy Hothouse (Penguin Modern Classics) Reprint by Aldiss, Brian, Aldiss, Brian, Gaiman, Neil (ISBN: 9780141189550) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. _Ecological disaster_ Millions of years from now, man is a dying species. I didn’t like it. **On the Beach** - Nevil Shute _Nuclear_ Set in Australia after a nuclear exchange between the US and Soviet. **Long voyage back** – Luke Rhinehart > **[Long Voyage Back: Amazon.co.uk: Rhinehart, Luke: 9781557501301: Books](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Voyage-Back-Luke-Rhinehart/dp/1557501300)** > > Buy Long Voyage Back by Rhinehart, Luke from Amazon's Fiction Books Store. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. _Nuclear_ Not great but solid work. **The Last Ship** – William Brinkley > **[The Last Ship: Amazon.co.uk: Brinkley, William: 9780142181430: Books](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Ship-William-Brinkley/dp/0142181439)** > > Buy The Last Ship Reprint by Brinkley, William (ISBN: 9780142181430) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. _Nuclear_ Survivors on a US cruiser trying to find a new home after an all out nuclear exchange with Soviet. The sudden explicit sexual descriptions took me by surprise. Overall ok. **Day of the Triffids** - John Wyndham > **[The Day of the Triffids: John Wyndham: Amazon.co.uk: John Wyndham:...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Day-Triffids-John-Wyndham/dp/0141033002)** > > Buy The Day of the Triffids: John Wyndham by John Wyndham from Amazon's Fiction Books Store. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. _Organic disaster_ Most of humans are blinded by a natural phenomenon, the rest is beset by some mysterious plant-like tripods. Great book – one of the best, despite its on the surface outrageous basis and it being more than 50 years old now. Actually I would start with this one. **1984** – George Orwell _Nuclear_ Not only the best post-apocalyptic book, the best book period. Some I bought but haven’t gotten around to read yet: **Stand on Zanzibar** - John Brunner > **[Stand On Zanzibar: Amazon.co.uk: Brunner, John: 9781857988369: Books](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stand-Zanzibar-John-Brunner/dp/1857988361)** > > Buy Stand On Zanzibar by Brunner, John from Amazon's Fiction Books Store. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. **Davy** - Edgar Pangborn > **[Davy: Amazon.co.uk: Pangborn, Edgar: 9780234779606: Books](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Davy-Edgar-Pangborn/dp/0234779608)** > > Buy Davy 1st Edition by Pangborn, Edgar (ISBN: 9780234779606) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. **Riddley Walker** - Russell Hoban > **[Riddley Walker: Amazon.co.uk: Hoban, Russell: 9781408832240: Books](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Riddley-Walker-Russell-Hoban/dp/1408832240)** > > Buy Riddley Walker by Hoban, Russell (ISBN: 9781408832240) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/63 "2006-05-19T14:23:55Z")
I agree with you about “Day of the Triffids” and “Canticle…”, **Rune**. Everyone swears by “Canticle…”, but I found it a boring, dry read, and I was never sure exactly what was going on. I’ve had the second book, “Wild Horse Woman,” in the house for years now, and I haven’t bothered to read it yet. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/64 "2006-05-19T14:29:11Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > I’ve had the second book, “Wild Horse Woman,” in the house for years now, and I haven’t bothered to read it yet. Don’t bother. It will kill any residual respect you had for the original. It sucketh muchly. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/65 "2006-05-19T15:20:26Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > **Stand on Zanzibar** - John Brunner This is one of my absolute favorite SF books; while many of the details are dated (centralized room-sized computers, nudity as a fashion choice), many are not (the hero is black and calls himself an “Afram” as a shortening of African-American; this in 1968), and the overall sweep of social evolution is right on the money. However, that being said, it doesn’t fit at all in the “post-apocalyptic” category. Highly recommended (mmm, time to read it again), but not if you’re looking for that kind of story. Brunner’s _Atlantic Abomination_ is a somewhat better choice when considering apocalyptic stories. It’s about an ocean expedition that raises a huge mummified creature from the sea floor; then, to everyone’s horror, it turns out the thing isn’t really dead, and has irresistable mind-control powers which it uses to enslave every human within its substantial range. Turns out it had pursued a similar reign of terror thousands of years ago and had been dumped into the ocean to rid humanity of its influence. As the reawakened monster assembles an army and cuts a broad swath through civilization, the world struggles to get organized and figure out how to kill the thing without also killing the tens of thousands of slaves with which it’s surrounded itself. Nasty, nasty little book. Would make a great SF/horror movie, actually. And for a very different angle on the end-of-the-world idea, check out Greg Bear’s _Blood Music._ A scientist injects himself with nanomachines, which have unexpected effects on his biochemistry, leading to an extremely weird but quite haunting finale. Both _Blood Music_ and _Atlantic Abomination_ are short, quick reads, easy to knock off in an afternoon or two. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/66 "2006-05-19T21:50:55Z")
Alan E. Nourse’s _The Fourth Horseman_, yet another plague-kills-(nearly)-everyone tale, is a good read. This time the plague is literally the plague, the real deal — bubonic, the black death, back for another run at us. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/67 "2006-05-20T02:25:04Z")
I can see my Amazon list of things to buy is going to be impressively long for quite some time… thanks, everyone! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/68 "2006-06-01T01:45:52Z")
_World Enough and Time_ and _Time’s Dark Laughter_ by James Kahn. There might be a third book - it’s been a loooooong time since I read them. And a couple of years ago I read two books, one set on Mars and another on Earth, that were post-apoc that I really enjoyed, but damn if I can remember title or author… The apocalyse was generated by a sort of _mental_ virus, called a “meme”, that could take over humans as a computer virus takes over computers. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/69 "2006-06-01T03:27:03Z")
Orson Scott Card’s [Pastwatch - The Redemption of Christopher Columbus](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312850581/104-2476731-6851121?v=glance&n=283155) was an interesting, if somewhat romanticised view, of an alternate history, set in motion by changing the past. Basically, in the post-apocalyptic future, whacky scienticians have invented a way of looking back in time, and eventually, travelling backwards, in order to change certain events. Including, yes, “redeeming” Columbus. The end is a bit lovey-dovey, probably hearking back to the author’s LDS roots. Quite enjoyed this one, and, unlike so many Card novels, there’s no annoying sequels to dilute the original interesting concept. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/70 "2006-06-01T06:30:58Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Brunner’s _Atlantic Abomination_ is a somewhat better choice when considering apocalyptic stories. It’s about an ocean expedition that raises a huge mummified creature from the sea floor; then, to everyone’s horror, it turns out the thing isn’t really dead, and has irresistable mind-control powers which it uses to enslave every human within its substantial range. Turns out it had pursued a similar reign of terror thousands of years ago and had been dumped into the ocean to rid humanity of its influence. As the reawakened monster assembles an army and cuts a broad swath through civilization, the world struggles to get organized and figure out how to kill the thing without also killing the tens of thousands of slaves with which it’s surrounded itself. Nasty, nasty little book. Would make a great SF/horror movie, actually. Anyone thinking “Cthulhu-by-another-name here”? sounds like a good one! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/71 "2006-06-01T09:45:07Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > And a couple of years ago I read two books, one set on Mars and another on Earth, that were post-apoc that I really enjoyed, but damn if I can remember title or author… The apocalyse was generated by a sort of _mental_ virus, called a “meme”, that could take over humans as a computer virus takes over computers. The “Meme Wars” books by [John Barnes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Barnes_(author)) - Candle and [The Sky So Big and Black](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sky_So_Big_and_Black) . Haven’t read them, but they came up when discussing SF and politics. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/72 "2006-06-01T10:44:54Z")
Yes, those are the books - particularly _The Sky So Big and Black_ ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/73 "2006-06-01T14:54:49Z")
Don’t have time to catch up on the whole thread, so sorry if it’s already been mentioned. **Houston, Houston Do You Read** by Tiptree. A lovely (Hugo, Nebula, and Juno awards) novella of a post-plague Earth where only a few women survived. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/74 "2006-06-01T20:00:34Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > Eh . . . I didn’t really like this one. The hero is so whiny and unsympathetic that it’s hard to enjoy the story. He spends hundreds of pages mentally complaining about how much smarter he is than the other survivors, but doesn’t do anything about the problems they face. In fact, he > > actively discourages the children from visiting the library by encouraging them to believe that it’s a sacred/forbidden place while simultaneously bemoaning the fact that they’re not well-educated. > > There are also some uncomfortable eugenics/racism aspects which come from the time period in which the book was written, but don’t play well to a modern reader. > > The hero thinks a retarded girl is better off dead, and abhors the idea of one of the children breeding with her. He also kills a stranger who enters their territory because he believes the man has a venereal disease and is sexually immoral. He also makes derisive comments about a settlement of black people. I don’t think any perceived shortcomings of the main character invalidate the book in any way. This is a fascinating book that paints a vivid picture of what a world slowly reverting to the wild would be like, and how the few humans left would cope and start to prosper again. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/75 "2006-06-02T16:28:30Z")
Pretty distantly post-apocalyptic, but Jacqueline Lichtenberg’s \*House of Zeor \* is about a distant-future Earth where mankind has suffered some kind of plague/disease/mutation (it’s never spelled out quite what happened, but it’s heavily implied that it was manmade) that’s split humanity into two halves: the Simes, who are stronger and faster than humans but who have tentacles and require a life-energy called “selyn” (which they must obtain approximately monthly or die a horrible death), and the Gens, who look like regular humans and who produce (without having any need for) the selyn that the Simes require. The catch? The act of taking the selyn from the Gens gives the Sime a great “high”–and kills the Gen (due to the terror he experiences during the process, which causes the Sime’s draw to burn him). The postapocalyptic part doesn’t come into the story too much, but there are tantalizing mentions of “Ancient” artifacts like primitive cameras and the rotting remains of old interstate highways. It’s a good read, and if you like it there are several more in the series. For a more amusing take on postapocalyptic society, you can’t beat _Motel of the Mysteries_. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/76 "2006-06-02T16:51:26Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > **1984** – George Orwell > _Nuclear_ > Not only the best post-apocalyptic book, the best book period. Great book indeed, but not post-apocalyptic. No nuclear exchanges, current or past, even though all three superpowers have the bomb. Human civilization has not been destroyed, it has merely evolved into something that sucks hard. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/77 "2006-06-03T00:01:38Z")
> [@winterhawk11](#): > > Pretty distantly post-apocalyptic, but Jacqueline Lichtenberg’s \*House of Zeor \* is about a distant-future Earth where mankind has suffered some kind of plague/disease/mutation (it’s never spelled out quite what happened, but it’s heavily implied that it was manmade) that’s split humanity into two halves: the Simes, who are stronger and faster than humans but who have tentacles and require a life-energy called “selyn” (which they must obtain approximately monthly or die a horrible death), and the Gens, who look like regular humans and who produce (without having any need for) the selyn that the Simes require. The catch? The act of taking the selyn from the Gens gives the Sime a great “high”–and kills the Gen (due to the terror he experiences during the process, which causes the Sime’s draw to burn him). :smack: Jacqueline would _kill_ me if she knew I forgot to mention her series (I know her via e-mail, along with Jean Lorrah, who has also written for the series) The books are: _First Channel Channel’s Destiny House of Zeor Ambrov Keon Zelerod’s Doom Unto Zeor, Forever Mahogany Trinrose RenSime_ ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/78 "2006-06-03T00:38:01Z")
> [@Martini Enfield](#): > > As I mentioned in the OP, I’ve just finished reading _A Canticle For Leibowitz_, and enjoyed it immensely- it’s going onto The Bookshelf Of Books I Read A Lot. A man of taste, evidently. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/79 "2006-06-03T00:57:47Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > :smack: > > Jacqueline would _kill_ me if she knew I forgot to mention her series (I know her via e-mail, along with Jean Lorrah, who has also written for the series) Yep, me too–so you \*are \* the Broomstick from the Sime~Gen list, then. 🙂 I haven’t been on for quite awhile, but I remember the name. To the OP: Despite my ulterior motive (knowing the authors through email) for mentioning the series, it really is quite good. I reread it fairly often and have been anticipating new books for the last…wow…28 years. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691/80 "2006-06-03T02:18:11Z")
I haven’t seen Tim Powers’ [Dinner at Deviant’s Palace](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1892284847/sr=8-1/qid=1149300977/ref=sr_1_1/104-0093964-9724740?%5Fencoding=UTF8) mentioned yet, so I’ll give it a nod. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-good-post-apocalyptic-fiction/356691.md?page=3)